CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2018 - RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment

Transition and adaptation of food systems for the future

                            CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2018
                 RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment

Preamble
As part of its higher education, research and innovation strategy for 2014-2020, Pays de la Loire Region
intends to foster integrated research–education–innovation (RFI) actions on key regional topics. The
aim is to set up a collective strategy on specific topics after identifying potential RFI assets,
interactions between R-E-I pillars, and their impact in terms of regional visibility and attractiveness.

The RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment (Transition and adaptation of food systems for the future)
is the result of collective discussions and involves a common strategy of regional RFI stakeholders in
the agrifood sector. The programme partnership thus brings together the INRA Angers-Nantes
research centre, ONIRIS, Universities of Nantes, Angers and Maine, AGROCAMPUS OUEST, Groupe ESA,
IFREMER, CRNH, Cap Aliment association, Valorial competitive cluster, 23 laboratories and 328
researchers, teacher-researchers and permanent research engineers involved in research disciplines
associated with the RFI Food for Tomorrow-Cap Aliment.

This 5-year program aims to create an international centre for excellence, especially by developing a
network structure, increasing the critical mass of researchers and strengthening international
partnerships in food and agrifood sectors.

A major objective of RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment is to contribute to the development of a
sustainable food chain through a ‘product-process-consumer’ eco-design approach in a supply-source
transition context, which requires the strengthening of innovation dynamics within the agrifood
economic sector.

The adopted approaches are mainly based on an interdisciplinary reverse engineering strategy, from
the end product to the constituent biopolymers, including production systems, control of sustainable
processes and impacts on public health and food safety. Interdisciplinarity will be reinforced by human
and social science research that will be carried out to integrate society’s food demand in the process
of formulating the “food for tomorrow”.

The research component of this programme is managed by INRA, which is the supporting institution
of the Pays de la Loire Agrifood Systems scientific interest group (GIS SAAPL) that was founded in 2015.

    A. Framework of the call for proposals

    1. Themes of the call for proposals
RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment is based on the following six research priority topics:

Line 1: Sustainable management of primary production

Line 2: Sustainable processing – adaptation to protein transitions and eco-design

Line 3: Food safety in production and processing chains

Line 4: Deconstruction of in vitro matrices – physical changes, reactivity,                    nutrient
compartmentalization and release, contaminants, metabolites and dynamic modelling

Line 5: The impact of food on consumer health, food practices and acceptability

Line 6: Tools, technologies, modelling and knowledge integration

Projects submitted under this call for proposals absolutely must be within the scientific scope of one
of the above-mentioned research lines, as outlined in the roadmap.

    2. Definition and terms of the call for proposals
The following tools are proposed under this call for proposals (2018):

    Doctoral fellowships
      - 4 Co-financed scholarships                 50 K€ salary and 14 K€ for peripheral cost

      - 3 Ph.D. peripheral cost                    maximum funding per project: 10k€

          Fixed-term contracts on scientific issues
      - Fixed-term contracts (maximum RFI funding: 15 months) basis: 50 K€ salary and
       10 K€/ of peripheral cost per year. A minimum of 20% co-funding from the leading unit is
       expected. Projects of at least 6 month are allowed.

          International post-doctoral Fellowship
      -    6 post-doctoral fellowships
                  75 k€ max and 10 k€ for peripheral costs +5 k€ minimum co-funding from the
       leading unit

The aim of the ‘fixed-term contract on issues’ tool is to resolve scientific, technical and methodological
issues, i.e. eliminate bottlenecks in research programmes or themes. Pay attention: the section C
(Expected impact) from the application form will be analysed in depth during the selection process,
especially the eventuality of ANR proposal or collaborations with companies. Projects have to be co-
funded. The co-funding does not have to be earned when the project is submitted. A 6-month period
is allowed to earn the co-funding after the funding announcement of the project.

    3. Eligibility criteria and selection procedure for doctoral fellowship, Ph.D.
       peripheral cost and fixed–term contracts on scientific issues
Application files submitted to the Pays de la Loire Agrifood Systems scientific interest group (GIS
SAAPL) Commission Office are reviewed based on the following criteria:

Eligibility criteria:

    compliance with the lines of research and objectives of the present call
    Thesis research, funded by co-financed scholarships, must be carried out under the co-supervision
     of two RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment partner laboratories.
    The application file must be complete. All signatures must be present.

Selection criteria:

    The scientific excellence of the project

    The innovative and original aspects of the project
    The expected impact in terms of visibility, academic scope and positioning in the national regional
     competitive contexts on this theme.

Being a collaborative programme, special attention will be given to co-funding projects. Apart from
thesis research projects for which this criterion is mandatory, co-funding between two or more RFI
Food for Tomorrow partner units is strongly encouraged.

Particular attention will be paid to the writing quality of the submitted proposal, and to the presence
of all of the required scientific, administrative and financial information. The entire proposal should be
drawn up in English, but French could be authorized upon acceptance of a reasoned waiver request
prior to submission.

Projects will be reviewed by two experts (Pays de la Loire region experts are excluded), including at
least one international expert, selected for their expertise in the concerned fields, while also avoiding
conflicts of interest. The project classification and the final validation of projects selected for funding
will be based on this expertise.

One-step application filing procedure.

    The complete project should be drawn up by filling in all sections in the ‘e-application form’. The
     e-application form (fully signed) should then be sent to the following address:
     pauline.videcoq@inra.fr before 12 pm on 16th March 2018 for Doctoral fellowships and Fixed-
     term contracts on scientific issues.
   The project should be sent in a single PDF file to facilitate subsequent dispatch of the dossier to
    external experts.
   A hardcopy version with the original signatures must be sent to pauline.videcoq@inra.fr within
    3 weeks after the e-application deadline.
    Project coordinators will be advised as to the final selection decision in July 2018 for Doctoral
     fellowships and Fixed-term contracts on scientific issues.
   Thesis and fixed-term contract funding could begin after the official publication of the selection
    decision.

    4. Eligibility criteria and selection procedure for international post-doctoral
       fellowship
Application files submitted to the Pays de la Loire Agrifood Systems scientific interest group (GIS
SAAPL) Commission Office are reviewed based on the following criteria:

Eligibility criteria:

    compliance with the lines of research and objectives of the present call

 Post-doctoral fellowship projects must be necessarily realized with one of the partners targeted
by the international strategy (list below) and the project will have to include a period of stay (minimum
3 month) of the post-doctoral fellowship in this foreign institution.
 The application file must be complete. All signatures must be present.

The partners are:
- Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands)
- Université Laval (Canada)
- Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain)
- University College of Dublin (Ireland)
- University of Sao Paulo (Brazil)
- Ghent University (Belgium)

Selection criteria:

    The scientific excellence of the project
    The innovative and original aspects of the project
    The expected impact in terms of visibility, academic scope and positioning in the national regional
     competitive contexts on this theme.

Particular attention will be paid to the writing quality of the application dossier, and to the presence
of all of the required scientific, administrative and financial information. The entire scientific dossier
should be drawn up in English, but French could be authorized upon acceptance of a reasoned waiver
request prior to submission.

A commitment letter of the international partner must be annexed to the project (signed by the
director of the partner’s structure)

Projects will be reviewed by two experts (Pays de la Loire region experts are excluded), including at
least an international one, selected for their expertise in the concerned fields, while also avoiding
conflicts of interest. The project classification and the final validation of projects selected for funding
will be based on this expertise by the GIS SAA-PL Research Commission Office.

One-step application filing procedure.

    The complete project should be drawn up by filling in all sections in the ‘e-application form’. The
     e-application form should then be sent to the following address: pauline.videcoq@inra.fr before
     12 pm on 18th May 2018 for International post-doctoral Fellowship.
   The project should be sent in a single PDF file to facilitate subsequent dispatch of the dossier to
    external experts.
   A hardcopy version with the original signatures must be sent to pauline.videcoq@inra.fr.
    Exceptionally, you can send the hardcopy version within 3 weeks after the e-application
    deadline.
    Project coordinators will be advised as to the final selection decision in September 2018 for
     International post-doctoral Fellowship

   International post-doctoral Fellowship could begin after the official publication of the
    selection decision.

    B. Support arrangements and tools
    1. Administrative and financial management
Funding provided by RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment will be allocated to a single recipient, i.e. the
institution responsible for scientific coordination, administrative and financial management of the
project (doctoral, postdoctoral, fixed-term contracts on scientific issues).

    2. Eligible expenditures
Eligible expenditures correspond only to direct expenditures (new expenditures generated by the
project) and do not take recurrent institutional expenses into account (including permanent staff
salaries and overhead costs).

Eligible expenditures are as follows:

      Contractual salary costs
- Salaries including compulsory employment-related costs

     Peripheral costs
- Consumables, fluids and small equipment (maximum < 20 K€)
- Mission, travel and accommodation costs
- Costs of studies, analyses, and services obtained from external providers that have been invoiced
- Expenses related to promotional and incentive initiatives;
- Pay for Master’s trainees.

These expenditures will have to be justified at the end of the project. Structural costs (depreciation)
and management costs committed by the project management institution are not eligible.
    3. Partners
Projects may involve one or more Food for Tomorrow-Cap Aliment partner units, with one or more
research teams involved within these units.

In the case of private companies involved in the project, the consortium agreement should help
confirm the absence of indirect assistance, in accordance with current European regulations.

    4. Research grants - Candidates
Doctoral projects should begin within 12 months and other projects within 6 months of the support
acceptance notification, subject to cancellation of the corresponding subsidies.

If the project is accepted, the CV of the prospective candidate must be sent by the project coordinator
to pauline.videcoq@inra.fr .

C. Monitoring, evaluation, communication
Coordinators of accepted projects should send a ‘general public’ summary that could be posted on
the RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment website at the start of the project.

The project coordinator must also provide a brief half-yearly project progress report and an annual
activity report (about 2 pages). These reports should be sent to pauline.videcoq@inra.fr.

A final report (5-10 pages) accompanied by the visa of the laboratory director must be drawn up at
the end of the contract. It should be accompanied by expenditure vouchers and sent to
pauline.videcoq@inra.fr right after the end of the project. An outline of the final report will be
attached to the project financing convention.

Supported projects could be presented as part of events organized by RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap
Aliment and be the focus of an evaluation by the RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment Scientific Council
to assess the obtained results regarding the initial objectives.

The beneficiary undertakes to communicate the research conducted via Culturesciences.fr, the
Region’s      scientific   and       technical digital    media      (contact:     research
service/culturesciences@paysdelaloire.fr).

Beneficiaries must comply with the following terms from the RFI Food for Tomorrow/Cap Aliment
financing agreement (article 4):

- The beneficiary project coordinator agrees to mention the financial support received from the Region
on all official documents and communication publications regarding the grant received, especially by
including the logo and while respecting the Region’s graphic charter.

- The Office of the Region should be informed by the beneficiary of any media initiatives related to the
subject for which the grant was awarded. This information requirement must be in the form of an
official letter sent within a reasonable amount of time to the President of the Regional Council to invite
the President to participate in media operations initiated by the beneficiary or partners.